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Last
Christmas (I gave you my heart, haha sorry I had to) while my family and I were
unwrapping presents I stopped towards the end and looked at our big plastic bag
of wrapping paper and thought: 'wow, that's a lot of waste' and we are only one
family not even giving that many gifts so I actually got stressed thinking
about how much it must be worldwide. Have you ever stopped to wonder how much
paper is thrown into landfills every December? Last year I did exactly that and
I couldn't even imagine how much it actually is.

We throw away around 4 million pounds of wrapping paper. That is enough paper to cover over 5000 football fields. That is insane! And since wrapping paper is dyed and
laminated it makes it super difficult to recycle, if not impossible.

This year
we will not have a big plastic bag filled with wrapping paper, ribbons and what
not going straight to landfills. So, what instead?

With
these alternatives you will save money because you do not have to spend money
on wrapping paper each year. You will also save the environment from a lot of
waste and therefore help preventing the planet from being destroyed.

Let's get
into some low/zero waste gift wrapping:

Gift bag:

Last year
I thought, why not use a bag to wrap presents? That way even the wrapping can
be used afterwards and there is no waste. So I threw some gifts into a bag and
tied a bow to close it off. If you want to make them yourself, you can find
inexpensive fabric at the thrift store, then just click right here for a guidebut
you can also buy totes or use the ones you have, you don't have to give the bag
as well. When the gifts have been unwrapped you can simply take the tote bags
with you.

Fabric and twine:

There is
so much fabric at the thrift store which can be used again and again to wrap
gifts. So, instead of throwing the wrapping material into a bin going to
landfills you can reuse it again and again whenever you want to gift something,
how smart is that? Tie a bow without tying a knot, that way the ribbon or twine
can be reused for future gifts. No tape or wrapping paper needed, yes please!

Star gift decoration:

If you want to be more creative and decorative with your gifts then there are definitely eco friendly ways to do that. One way is to make these starts with branches and some twine. Super easy and gives a rustic look to the gift. Tie a gift as you normally would but before you make the bow place the star underneath. Again, with everything else, they can be used again and you can even throw a string around them and use then to decorate you home.See how to make the stars here.

Dried orange decoration:

If you wish to decorate with some color then these dried citrus fruits are a great idea because they are super easy to make and can be reused again and again + they are biodegradable. Dry oranges, mandarins, lemons or limes and add then to your gift wrapping for a high effort look that will definitely be eye catching.

Recycled paper:
We received a package in the mail with a lot of brown paper - first of all why? but then we decided to use it to wrap presents in. And since we do not use tape but twine only we can reuse it again and again until it breaks. Yay for recycling! If you receive a gift wrapped in paper you can also save that and use it to wrap your gifts.

Spruce gift decoration:

Another way to spice up the wrapping with even less effort than the star decoration (we like that),is to throw a piece of spruce on top of the gift and tie a bow around. If you want to find them in nature make sure you do not do anything that's illegal - I do not know how it is in other countries but here in Denmark I do not think it is legal to cut branches from trees that are not yours.

Newspaper:

From what
I have read, newspapers are biodegradable. They are something people just throw
away after they have been read so why not save them and use them for wrapping
your gifts? Use twine to secure the paper from unwrapping and you can use reuse
it until it breaks.

Thank you for reading! Which zero waste gift wrapping idea do you like the best?

I have been thinking a lot about what I wanted to place on my wish list for Christmas this year as this is the year I have been decluttering, diving into minimalism, zero waste and sustainability. So often people, me included, put things on our wish list even though it is not really something we need or want but well.. there has to be something there, right?

I created a list where I placed items I need and items I have had my eyes on during this year so that I wouldn't end up with a list filled with because-I had-to-items but items I have been wanting for a long time. These are the wishes that has stayed on the list:

Throughout this year where I have been diving more and more into the zero waste lifestyle I have seen cutlery made from bamboo and I think it is so cool. And then to get a set that I can bring with me everywhere is just even better! There is everything I need so that if I am on the go I avoid plastic cutlery- definitely a huge plus. I also really want another bamboo straw so here I will be getting 2 gifts in one which is pretty awesome!

In a previous post of mine I shared 3 natural period products where I mentioned the Thinx period underwear and I stated that I would love to try them so I thought they were the perfect wish to put onto my list. I would love something for the last days of my period where I can't wear nothing but a cup is just sometimes.. too much. Therefore putting on these would be perfect! Thinx is such an amazing invention that helps the planet and our periods.

I already have a T-shirt from Tsforbees and I absolutely love it! But I would love a T-shirt that is a bit more neutral than the yellow and red I already have so therefore this black and white save the bees T-shirt is on my list this year. What is awesome about this gift is that I also give 10% to saving the bees which is something that is super important as 1/3 of bees are already gone and without them.. well we are screwed. More accurately we only have 4 years to live without bees.

If you wish to get a T-shirt from Tees for Bees then use the code CAMILLA for free shipping and support the bees with 10% of the price. If you want to learn more about the bees and the company then click right here.

Gift card to a massage

Something that I think all people could use and really benefit from is a massage and that is also why it is on my list. There is not really much to this wish other than it is something that I find grounding and a way to release some blockages both physically but also mentally.

Gift
giving can sometimes be quite tricky because there are people you just do not
know what to wrap up and give them. It is also tricky because there may well be
something on their list of wishes that are neither ethical nor sustainable -
should you set your values aside in order to gift something a loved one wants?
This is a question only you can answer. I myself, will have a hard time purchasing
something that is not vegan, for example, actually I am quite sure I will not
buy it even though it is something another person wishes. I just do not feel
comfortable with that and I do not want to support cruelty. So what then?

And what
do you do when someone has no wishes? First of all, don't buy something just to
give something- yes, it is definitely a
nice gesture and this time is about giving but giving something purely to give
is such a huge waste of resourcesso ask
yourself; who do you actually want to
gift presents to?

Because
this is what it is all about. It is not just about throwing gifts from left to
right mindlessly but bringing joy to those you surround you who makes you
happy. Bringing joy to them in an ethical and sustainable way. So, how do you do
that? Here are some gift ideas to help destroy the planet a little less:

This is
definitely one of my absolute favorites. A bracelet that pulls plastic out of
the ocean. Made from thrifted materials and the absolute perfect gift. One
bracelet pulls one pound of plastic from the ocean and you can even choose
which animals you want to support. Do you have a friend who loves sharks,
turtles or maybe polar bears? Then gift them the bracelet supporting that
animal. If you want to know more about the company then click right here to getto my post about them.

I
discovered Not Just Bamboo this year and I absolutely love their products. I
use their straw and their tooth brush everyday and I love them! Plastic is a
huge problem on this planet - read more aboutit here - so this is definitely a great idea to show people that
sustainable products are just as good if not even better and the products from
Not Just Bamboo are something everyone can use, no matter gender or age. For
example, you can gift their bottle (many different sizes to choose from),
their toothbrushes or maybe their straws?

Why not
gift someone the most comfortable and softest basics you can ever imagine? And
to make it even better they are ethically made and their cotton is organically
grown. If you want to know more about them click right here where I tested some of their products and shared information about
their company. Shop for him or her and to make it even better get a pack to
same money. You can also get a gift card on their page so the lucky one can
choose just want they need in their wardrobe.

There are
so many possibilities on this site for every gender and age and the best thing
is that you support the bees while giving joy to others - 10% of the sales go
to the bees. Choose between t-shirts, sweatshirts, swim wear, crop tops, bags
or long sleeved with the important message to save the bees and to make it even
better the clothing is made ethically and sweatshop free. I am so lucky to be
an ambassador for the company and I absolutely love the t-shirt I have.

Do you
know someone who would love to spread the vegan message on their clothing? Then
something from Wholesome Culture is perfect! Their products are ethically made
and there is something for every gender and age so you should definitely be
able to find something for your loved ones. I have one of their t-shirts and I
absolutely love it! Choose from t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, tank tops
and they even have a holiday collection. You can also get a gift card so the
lucky one can get just what they want to.

I
absolutely love the vibe and I literally cannot choose between their designs -
they are all so cool. Eco Bug Bags make zero waste (and therefore plastic free)
friendly tote bags, produce shopping bags and kitchen towels that are also
vegan friendly. They are so useful for zero waste grocery shopping and I think
they would bring a lot of joy to a lot of people. I mean… how freaking cool is
that banana tote bag?? And don't get me started on the avocado bag..

Another
gift that I think is very versatile and something for everybody is a shampoo
bar. I love the fragrance free version from Friendly Soap (I get them fragrance
free from a Danish site, they do not have it on the Friendly Soap shop - but I
believe the aloe vera version is fragrance free) but they also have other great soaps with
different (natural) fragrances such as lavender, tea tree, orange, grapefruit
and many other. What I love about these is that they are handmade, natural and
zero waste friendly. The soaps are cruelty free, palm oil free, sls free and
parabens free.

Do you already have an item in mind but do not know where to find it sustainably made? Then check out the online marketplace Earthhero and see if they have an alternative there. The site is filled with ethical and sustainable items that would make awesome gifts. It is a place
where you can search for items you want to find sustainably made with companies that care as much about the environment as you do. You can find gifts for every gender and age so there should definitely be something for everyone! This post contains affiliate links meaning that at no additional cost to you I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my link. Links marked with a *.

Do you have any sustainable gift ideas? Leave them in the comments below!

I am not
the biggest Christmas decorator and a lot of it has to do with how wasteful the
Christmas decoration is. I also just don't like that I have to store it in a
box for the rest of the year, no thank you to that. But I will say that some
decoration can be nice and I love decorating the tree (if I have one) minimally
with sustainable items - or that whatever I put on it is at least thrifted. These dried citrus fruits are just that,
sustainable. No plastic, no paper, no materials considered wasteful and they
are so easy to make so let's get into it:

You can use these in three ways:

One: as
an ornament for the Christmas tree (if you have one of those)

Two: as a
garland to decorate your home or as I did hung individuallyThree: as decoration on presents (post coming soon)

You can use:

Oranges

Mandarins

Lemons

Limes

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 70 (90 if you have a slow oven) degrees Celsius on hot air. Cut the citrus fruits into 2-4 mm slices and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Place the baking sheet in the oven and dry them for 30 minutes with the oven door ajar. Then turn the slices upside down and dry them for another 30 minutes also with the oven door ajar. Repeat until the slices are dried completely. In my oven it took about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Hang the dried citrus slices with (biodegradable) twine using the hole in the middle or poke the dried slice with one side of a pair of scissors making a hole for the twine. Tie the ends of the twine togther and hang them up using hooks.

I was going to give all of my crystals away so I thought I would make a calendar out of them to make it a bit more interesting and it is just amazing to give joy to others through a calendar during Christmas. I made this for my friend and her son and I cannot wait to give it to them! I put two crystals in each bag and then they can choose which one they would like each day.

I have
always been an avid reader and opening up a book is something I have always
loved and probably always will love. There is just something about going into
another world of words turning into pictures behind my eyes. My love for books
has not changes one bit but what has changed is what I read; I still enjoy
fiction and read it once in a while but I have discovered a new love for non-
fiction. Especifically self-discovery and self-development books. They are, as
the title suggests life changing - at least they are to me. If you haven't
already check out my first post with life changing books but now let's get into
the books:

Spicing up my water is without a doubt the the number one thing that makes me drink more water. There are so many ways to spice it up to make it more hydrating. I have talked about what happened when I switched from drinking water without something in it to when I decided to put some fruit/veggie/herb into it - If you want to learn more about how much I drink and some of my favorite ways to spice up my water then click right here.

I have also just published a free eBook on this topic with way more information about the benefits I have experienced, way more suggestions on what to spice up your water with, how to drink more, signs of dehydration and so much more. Click here to get the book - more about it below.

A few weeks ago I shared a post about plastic in the oceans and how it is affecting the sea life. And by affecting the sea life I mean killing both the animals and
the eco systems under the surface. Plastic dumped into the ocean breaks up into
smaller pieces that become toxic poison pills (also called micro plastic) to
the life under water and there is no way that the animals are not ingesting them
because the oceans are literally filled with plastic! So in order for the fish
and other animals not to die we need to remove it. Currently, because of the
million tons of plastic dumped into the oceans every year millions of sea
animals die from plastic in their system, because, well they are simply not
build to digest it.

Complete
silence is a very seldom concept in this day and age. Always thoughts in our
minds, always music in our ears, always advertisementsin front of our eyes, always constant
stimulation from left to right, always, always, always something covering the
silence.I have never really felt the
power of silence until recently because I was in the mindset that silence was
boring and I felt a constant need to be stimulated.

But what
I have learned over the past few months, if not the past year, is that silence
fills a void that cannot be filled with constant noise no matter how much we
try. Silence has the power to bring us back to who we are, to observe the world
and connect with our surroundings. Silence has the power to free us from our
constant search of what we will never find outside ourselves even though we
keep trying. Only in silence are we able to discover what we truly want and who
we truly are.

I have been writing a journal ever since I learned how to write. I've been asked the question; 'how do you do it?' many times and I don't really know how to answer that. People make it sound like a burden, some kind of chore that has to be done but I just think that once it clicks it becomes your outlet for everything; emotions, feelings, experiences. A way to get everything out of your head.

It is not a burden but more a form of therapy. It is where I go to let all of whatever is going on out. Put pen to paper in order to get whatever is going on out of my mind. To process what I go through, both good and bad. It should be fun and a way for you to express yourself and lock down memories.

One day I thought to myself that I wanted new towels because the ones I had were so washed and very rough on the skin which is not very pleasant. I did not want to buy new non-ethically made towels which by the way are also not organic and therefore filled with toxins so what then? The towels that are organic are expensive and I did not know if they were also ethically made and I wanted something that was more eco-friendly.

Then I got the idea to use sheets cut in half. I wanted to try it out so I bought some at the thrift store to experiment with. You can use any cotton fabric you have or whatever you can find. I found two big white sheets at the thrift store and cut them in half and now I have 4 towels - so smart and incredibly cheap! It is so easy that calling it a DIY is a stretch but oh well... I absolutely love them.

If you want to know more ways to be sustainable and live more naturally then check out my new eBook 'Personal Care' to make your own natural and simple personal care products. It is also filled with tons of tips and tricks for a sustainable life. Check it out here: Personal Care English or Personlig Pleje Dansk.

But let's get into how I made the towels (even though I have already explained it, haha):

A couple of months ago I shared this photo on Instagram with a little caption about my acne journey which is not something I have shared much about. I have been struggling with acne since 2011 and I have tried everything! Skin care for acne, gentle skin care and even medicine. The medicine helped for a while but it slowly came back. I have cried, I have been so frustrated and I felt so helpless.

A period
is a pretty natural thing, if not one of the most natural things that happen to us and it is a thing a lot of people go through. What is not natural and a
massive waste is the period products, like disposable tampons and pads that are
the most commonly used. These products that are so commonly used are so hurtful
not only to the environment because of the massive waste of plastic and
materials but also to the user because, if not bought organically, the company
does not by law have to state what kinds of toxins and ingredients that are in
their products.